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The Mullvad CLI (mullvad) is a command-line interface for managing the Mullvad VPN daemon. It provides complete control over VPN connections, relay selection, tunnel configuration, and account management.

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Binary Name

The CLI tool is named mullvad (or mullvad.exe on Windows).

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Basic Usage

mullvad [COMMAND] [OPTIONS]

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Getting Help

Display general help information: 
mullvad --help
Get help for a specific command: 
mullvad [COMMAND] --help
For example: 
mullvad relay --help
mullvad tunnel set --help

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Version Information

Check the CLI version: 
mullvad --version
View detailed version information: 
mullvad version

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Quick Examples

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Connection Management

Connect to VPN: 
mullvad connect
Connect and wait until connected: 
mullvad connect --wait
Disconnect from VPN: 
mullvad disconnect
Check connection status: 
mullvad status
Get verbose status information: 
mullvad status --verbose

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Account Management

Log in to your account: 
mullvad account login [ACCOUNT_NUMBER]
View current account information: 
mullvad account get
Log out: 
mullvad account logout

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Relay Selection

List available relays: 
mullvad relay list
Set relay location by country: 
mullvad relay set location se
Set relay location by city: 
mullvad relay set location se got
View current relay constraints: 
mullvad relay get

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Available Command Categories

The Mullvad CLI provides the following command categories:

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Core Commands

  • connect - Connect to a VPN relay
  • disconnect - Disconnect from the VPN
  • reconnect - Reconnect to any matching VPN relay
  • status - Return the state of the VPN tunnel

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Account Management

  • account - Control and display information about your Mullvad account
    • Create accounts
    • Login/logout
    • View account details and device information
    • Manage devices

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Relay Configuration

  • relay - Manage relay and tunnel constraints
    • List available relays
    • Set location constraints (country, city, hostname)
    • Configure relay providers and ownership
    • Update relay list
    • Override relay options

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Tunnel Settings

  • tunnel - Manage tunnel options
    • MTU configuration
    • Quantum-resistant key exchange
    • DAITA (Defense Against AI-Guided Traffic Analysis)
    • Allowed IPs
    • Key rotation interval

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Network Settings

  • dns - Configure DNS servers to use when connected
  • lan - Control the allow local network sharing setting
  • split-tunnel - Configure split tunneling (platform-specific)

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Security & Privacy

  • lockdown-mode - Control whether to block network access when disconnected from VPN
  • auto-connect - Control the daemon auto-connect setting
  • anti-censorship - Manage use of anti-censorship methods for WireGuard

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Advanced Configuration

  • api-access - Manage Mullvad API access methods
    • Configure proxy and bridge servers
    • Manage SOCKS5 and Shadowsocks proxies
  • custom-list - Manage custom relay lists
  • beta-program - Receive notifications about beta updates

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Data Management

  • factory-reset - Reset settings, caches, and logs
  • reset-settings - Reset settings only, but remain logged in and keep logs and caches
  • import-settings - Apply a JSON patch generated by ‘export-settings’
  • export-settings - Export a JSON patch based on the current settings
  • log - Manage logs and tracing

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Debugging

  • debug - Debug commands used for internal testing (hidden)

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Output Formats

Many commands support different output formats:

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Verbose Mode

Use the -v or --verbose flag for detailed output: 
mullvad status --verbose
mullvad account get --verbose

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JSON Output

Some commands support JSON output with the -j or --json flag: 
mullvad status --json

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Debug Output

For debugging purposes, use the -d or --debug flag: 
mullvad status --debug

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Interactive Features

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Wait Flags

Connection commands support --wait (or -w) to block until the operation completes: 
mullvad connect --wait
mullvad disconnect --wait
mullvad reconnect --wait

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Status Listening

Monitor tunnel state changes in real-time: 
mullvad status listen

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Confirmations

Destructive operations like factory reset require confirmation unless you use -y or --assume-yes: 
mullvad factory-reset --assume-yes
mullvad reset-settings -y

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Shell Integration

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Shell Completions

On Unix systems (Linux and macOS), you can generate shell completion scripts: 
mullvad shell-completions bash
mullvad shell-completions zsh
mullvad shell-completions fish

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Communication with Daemon

The CLI communicates with the mullvad-daemon system service using a management interface. The daemon must be running for the CLI to function. If you encounter connection errors, ensure the daemon is running:
  • Linux: systemctl status mullvad-daemon
  • macOS: Check if the daemon process is active
  • Windows: Check if the Mullvad service is running in Services

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Exit Codes

The CLI returns standard exit codes:
  • 0 - Success
  • Non-zero - Error occurred
This makes the CLI suitable for use in scripts and automation.

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Next Steps

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